LETTERS: NORTH COUNTY, JAN. 21, 2013

Going out of business

The recent presidential and state elections are irrefutable proof that our country wants bigger government and more taxes. It has also shown me that millions of Americans not only want a welfare state, but have come to expect it.

I am a longtime small business owner and it is a constant challenge to conduct a profitable business in this state. I have decided to downsize my operation to the point where I can liquidate everything and go out of business.

Instead of creating a positive business atmosphere, our government has decided to punish business owners for our hard work. The people have voted and made their decision known.

Now, I am making my decision. Instead of deriving taxes from myself and my employees for years to come, the government will get nothing now. I will transfer most of my savings to offshore accounts as well. For all of those who voted for President Obama and tax increases, now is the time to start a business. This way, they can happily give all their profits away to the government and their programs.

I am not going to wish them good luck, because I don’t.

Charles Spencer

Oceanside

‘God-given right to bear arms’?

Those who use the phrase “God-given right to bear arms” are being facetious, right?

The right to bear arms is granted by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but God did not write the Constitution. Moreover, the idea that a god of peace would endow us with such a right is grotesque.

Obviously, the phrase “God-given right to bear arms” is hyperbole invented by liberals for the purpose of mocking the more intemperate members of the National Rifle Association.

Yet, I think I have seen the phrase used seriously and without irony on these pages. I hope I was wrong.

Bruce Thompson

Vista

Buy American, invest in America

Solid Republican South Carolina invested (“spent,” in Republican speak) $325 million into subsidizing 2,000 jobs, which equals $162.5K per job (“BMW plant in South Carolina exceeds expectations,” Dec. 26). Why government spending (“stimulus,” in Democratic speak)? Because the factory, while growing to 7,000 jobs and lowering the per-job investment, created another 14,000 ancillary jobs, making overall investment $15.5K per job.

Republicans hate the $12 billion American investment in General Motors, an excellent yield of 1.5 million jobs equaling $8K per job (“GM IPO: Auto bailout saved more than 1 million jobs, study says,” Nov. 17,
http://blogs.wsj.com).

A continuing misunderstanding is that stimulus money is “lost” — gone. Stimulus money is budgeted, but curative. It creates jobs in the short-term, and hopefully creates lasting and widespread value. Jobs make spending, but during unemployment peaks, spending makes jobs.

The Highway 76 improvements are a perfect example. Tax cuts are stimuli, but a costly and inefficient application, especially compared to food stamps, unemployment, infrastructure construction, or really, every other way.

But spending needs to stay in America, making American jobs.

The real lesson is that 7,000 employees made 25,000 vehicles; each vehicle over a quarter of a job, before the two-times job multiplier effect. So, actually, 25,000 cars made 21,000 jobs!

Look around at the cars not made here; every one is almost an American job shipped overseas. Tariffs are in order.

Richard Crews

Encinitas

More extremism in Congress

As the 113th Congress convenes, our deepest fears are confirmed.

Michelle Bachmann introduced her umpteenth effort to overturn “Obamacare.” Paul Ryan introduced another effort to sanctify “personhood,” which could effectively ban many forms of birth control, in vitro fertilization, stem cell research and all abortions, even if the mother will die and/or the fetus is not viable.

These ambassadors of intractable views are convinced that their religious interpretation is a sacred basis for their divine imposition of some ethereal morality they believe we all need, our Constitution be damned. They’re intent on defunding Planned Parenthood, though it provides health care to thousands of poor women with pap smears and mammogram screenings. It’s their only lifeline.

As an agnostic, I have to answer to me. I am the only person I sleep with every night. Religion is used as a crutch by many to excuse horrible behaviors, believing that they are forgiven no matter what.

The public aren’t capable of making decisions on our own? Well, I don’t have that luxury. I have to answer to me and if I mucked up, it would mess with my sleep and I won’t have that.

Grow up or fade away, you choose.

Nathan Wesley

Solana Beach

Governor Brown’s outright lies

Is there anybody left who believes anything Governor Brown says?

Remember his promise that 100 percent of the Proposition 30 moneys would go to our schools? Remember that there were strict accounting requirements in place to assure this?

Now we find that approximately 50 percent of those moneys actually will go into our schools. Our wonderful governor is busy explaining why the nonschool expenditures were good and necessary, ignoring the fact that his original presentation and promise were outright lies. Those students who are being hit with significant fee increases in our colleges are well aware of the transgression.

Brown’s promise was as phony as our federal government’s promise that those earning less than $250,000 would not be subjected to tax increases. Look at your paycheck lately?

We’re from the government and we’re here to help you. Yeah, right!

Mike Concannon

Escondido

Stop celebrating alcohol

Enough is enough.

I have been silently observing the explosion of “craft” beer breweries in my city and have been shaking my head in amazement how the so-called “leaders” in this city and now neighboring Oceanside think that expanding the reach and availability of deadly alcohol, especially increasingly stronger craft brews, is absolutely wonderful, and how great it will be for city coffers with the tax revenue.

I suppose it will be good revenue for the craft brewers as well, splashing their legal concoction of toxic chemicals around. It will be good for state and local law enforcement revenue with all of the resulting DUIs, and will certainly be good for the mortuary industry, with so many thousands of deaths from both its consumption, and irresponsible drinkers who plow their vehicles into center dividers and tragically into innocents.

I was a microbrew/craft beer drinker and aficionado up until 10 years ago, but I quit completely since losing several relatives and a former wife to it, and for my own health. I can’t believe alcohol continues to be so widely celebrated by society, yet has caused so much grief and carnage for so many.

Carl Desserich

Vista

Let’s talk about crop circles

Let’s put aside the more serious topics for a moment and talk about something fun for a change — crop circles.

I think crop circles are created by aliens using styluses and templates. The styluses follow the templates, then project balls or beams of energy down at the fields to create the designs. The incidences where you might have noticed a face incorporated into a design is probably an indication that the aliens were drinking a little too much of their own homemade brew and were just being silly.